Muslims and the Wider Society

THE ISSUE OF KUFR AND KAFIR Chapter. The words kafir, kuffar, or kafirun appear many times in the Quran, but their use in the form of a specific address, such as ayyuhal-kafirun, does not occur anywhere else in the Quran. According to the commentators, the al in al-kafirun is al- ‘ahd. That is, it refers specifically to a particular group, not to every person outside the Muslim group. Some of the commentators’ statements are given below: “Al-mukhatabuna kuffarun makhsusun qad ‘alima Allah annahum la yu’minun” (Tafsir al-Nasafi, Vol. 3, p. 687). That is, those addressed are specific deniers whom God knows will not believe. “Wa ‘ana bil-kafirina qawman mu‘ayyanina la jami‘alkafirin” (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 20, p. 226). That is, the reference here is to a specific group of deniers, not to all deniers. “Khitaabun li-jama‘atin makhsusah” (Tafsir al-Mazhari, Vol. 10, p. 354). That is, this address is directed to a specific group. Qul ya ayyuhal-kafirun is a specific form of address and cannot be used in a general sense. That is, Qul ya ayyuhal-kafirun refers permanently only to the early deniers of Quraysh who were contemporaries of the Prophet of Islam  and who, despite the prophetic completion of proof, refused to accept the Prophet’s